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Ruined Sea
The Ruined Sea is the name given to the demolished island city-state directly off of the continental Known World's western coast. The kingdom's real name, Stabia, has been intentionally forgotten by most. Fendrel Grabarek and Riot Woodhouse hail from this area. Character Knowledge Golden Age Stabia was once a bustling metropolis. It was one of the five large city-states that comprised the majority of the Known World's population. It was an economic powerhouse, with thriving fishing and underwater agricultural communities exporting seafood (fish, mollusks, seaweed) and jewelry (coral, mollusks, pearls) to the mainland. Justice in the kingdom was notably predicated upon understanding the root cause of the crime rather than simply establishing the black and white of "right" and "wrong." Criminals were judged based on the perpetrator's motives rather than on the damages caused; for example, an impoverished person stealing food so their family wouldn't starve would receive a significantly lighter sentence than someone who stole for the sake of monetary gain or prestige. The city-state's chief religion was in reverence to Ilmater, the lawful good God of Endurance. Riot entered the service of this god in 1019, as soon as he was legally able, bucking the racial stereotype that all tieflings are evil. He spent the next decade and a half working his way up the ranks, studying for the priesthood while also training in the fine art of combat, becoming a Paladin. Somewhere around this time, the orphan Fendrel, who had a strange ability to talk to the dead, also came to live at the temple. He was considered "unadoptable" and found work in the temple's mortuary. Riot was promoted to the Royal Guard, just a few weeks before the fall. The Fall On 24 Kron 1040, the kingdom was attacked by the largest fleet of pirates the world had ever seen. They destroyed everything, and most people believe they killed everyone. Riot and Fendrel are the only Ruined Sea nationals that the Homeless Heathens have seen or heard of since the massacre. The environment on the island and in the waters for thirty miles around was rendered unusable. Riot fought valiantly at the castle, taking on wave after wave of pirates before he was thrown from a high window and knocked unconscious. As the towers of the castle came down, Riot was buried in rubble and left for dead. After he was out of the picture, pirates slew the monarchs King Crispin and Queen Fumiko as well as their children. Their bodies were left in the wreckage, as if to confirm their deaths. When Riot awoke an unknown number of days later, he took a silver teardrop earring from the eldest princess as a memento of his heritage. As Riot left the island, he found Fendrel, and took the boy with him. No motive for the destruction was ever established. While homes, shops, and the palace were ransacked, far more of the kingdom's wealth was destroyed than stolen. Aftermath The fall of this kingdom destabilized the economy of the entire continent. Food resources have gone up in price everywhere, leading to shortages in some areas. Trade has suffered. Common people will not speak the name Stabia, referring to the region instead as the "Ruined Sea." Player Knowledge The Fall The pirates which attacked Stabia were the fleet of Commodore Montana Max, a ruthless cutthroat who employed high-level magic users to sunder the entire island. Aftermath Montana Max and his entire fleet were destroyed in an accident of their own doing four years later. Behind the Scenes References The original name of the kingdom, Stabia, is a reference to the Roman city of Stabiae, which was destroyed on August 24-25, year 79, when Mount Vesuvius erupted. More famously, this eruption also took out the significantly larger city of Pompeii. The date of the attack on Stabia is translated from the date of Vesuvius' eruption. As with most of the things Trevor wrote into Riot's backstory, the Royal Family's names are references to the manga/anime franchise Hellsing. King Crispin is named for Crispin Freeman, the American voice actor of the character Alucard; Queen Fumiko for Fumiko Orikasa, the Japanese voice actress for Seras Victoria (whom Trevor has also named a cat after).Category:Locations Category:City-States Category:Empires Category:Islands